


Formal Training

by jkateel



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-10
Updated: 2014-03-10
Packaged: 2018-01-15 07:09:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1296016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jkateel/pseuds/jkateel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anders and Solona Amell, discussing her fighting style.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Formal Training

“What was that?!”  
  
Solona’s thoughts were elsewhere — mostly on the faint pulse of dark magic and darkspawn she could sense up the road — so it took her a moment to realize Anders was speaking to her. She looked at him, but not without sparing a quick glance to where Nathaniel was plucking his arrows out of the bandit’s body, and where Oghren was searching the bandit’s camp (possibly for something to drink).  
  
“Hm?” she asked. Anders squinted at her. He did that a lot when he was confused by something, but she was at a lost for the cause.  
  
“Your swish-swish there,” he said, and then demonstrated, spinning his staff forward to slam it into the ground. Without the magic, it looked silly, but Solona understood.  
  
“It’s a mage fighting style,” she explained. It was becoming more natural for her to use — but this was the first time she used it in actual combat, she realized.  
  
Anders’ squint grew.  
  
“And here I thought it was a complicated dance step that involved magic flying everywhere.” He stuck his lip out, frowning then. “Since when do mages have fighting styles?”  
  
Solona huffed, amused. “Some Circles teach their mages a more aggressive combat style than ours. This one is what Kirkwall mages learn.”  
  
“Kirkwall?” Anders asked. Solona glanced away, hoping to appear disinterested. She didn’t want Anders to ask about Kirkwall, or why she was interested in it. Though she was trying to quell that urge lately, since the Amell line was practically gone, and their records were near impossible to get to without attracting attention. There were some things she didn’t think the Wardens would tolerate if she pushed.  
  
“I can see why they didn’t teach us that at the Felerden circle,” Anders said. She looked back at him. “Imagine some poor apprentice trying to make those turns. He’d trip over his robes, hit one of the library shelves and send the whole thing crashing down. And who would be left cleaning up the mess? Us.”  
  
Solona had to agree. “I suppose just teaching us fire spells inside the library was dangerous enough.”  
  
Anders grinned. There was a slyness to that grin — Solona didn’t doubt he had burned up a few books for the fun of it.

Their education had been dismal though — for as much magic as she and Anders knew, the lack of proper combat training meant they failed to utilize it to its maximum effect. (Which was probably why they hadn’t been formally taught — how the Kirkwall Circle got away with it, she didn’t know.)  
  
“I’ll teach it to you,” she said to Anders, who looked at her in surprise. He did that a lot too — she wasn’t sure why though. It faded quickly for a pout, Anders gathering up his robes and eyeing her suspiciously.  
  
“This better not be another attempt for me to give up the robes,” he grumbled.

Solona tried not to roll her eyes. Only _once_ had she suggested Anders might be more comfortable in trousers… She couldn't _wait_ until she showed him the uniforms sent over from Weisshaupt. There was a battle she wasn’t looking forward to.  
  
“Remind me not to teach you in the library,” she muttered, and that made Anders bark out a laugh even she had to grin at.


End file.
